A guy who claims he was shot by fake cops has an extremely dubious history.

"When I saw that story, I fell back in my chair in awe," says local attorney Michael Garcia Petit, who in 2004 sued Magnum, claiming he had attempted to scam Petit's clients out of a pharmacy worth $300,000. That was one of 12 Miami-Dade suits in which Magnum has been named as a defendant. "How any reporter or police officer could believe a word that comes out of that man's mouth is beyond me."

Miami-Dade Corrections Department

Magnum... Paul Magnum

Since his appearance outside the hospital, Magnum seems to have made himself scarce. Nobody answered the door at his Biscayne Park apartment. His public defender, Sara Yousuf, says his phone has been disconnected. "I haven't been able to get a hold of him," she says. Yousuf doesn't exactly put her reputation on the line defending her client's mugging story. She tells New Times: "To be honest, I have no idea what happened that morning."